The present invention relates in general to machines for stuffing loose material such as fiber, and more particularly to a fiber filling machine for creating stuffed products such as soft toys, pillows, and the like without using compressors.
Fiber filling systems use compressors and blowers along with other devices to manipulate and guide fiber material into products. Manipulating or processing raw fiber may involve breaking down or fluffing the fiber, requiring custom devices to meet quality standards and achieve the desired feel and texture of the stuffed products. Fiber filling systems also typically comprise hoppers, fiber passageways and housings for various components. In these systems, processed fiber is guided or blown through hoppers and passageways.
Several fiber filling systems have been developed in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,092 to Collida discloses a fiber stuffing and fluffing machine for fiber stuffing toys, pillows, and the like. The machine has a venturi vacuum system, an agitation cavity and blade arrangement, and various mechanical and electrical features. The machine is integrated into a single stand alone unit and performs fluffing and stuffing operations without external pneumatic sources. The machine utilizes a blast gate that is highly resistant to clogging and fiber buildup. The machine also utilizes scroll compressors or turbine compressors and provides means for separating foreign objects from the ingested stuffing fibers. This machine is different from the present invention, which does not employ any compressors and comprises different components.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,160 to Rothstein discloses a fiber filling system for feeding and stuffing a quantity of fiber material. The system comprises a picking device for separating clumped fiber that feeds to an air and fiber circulation chamber. The circulation chamber aerates and fluffs the separated fiber into a fibrous billow, which is then discharged to a stuffing chute. A stuffable article, such as a toy, pillow, or furniture cushion casing is attached to the chute and is filled with the fibrous billow. The circulation chamber creates a cyclonic flow to provide sufficient fluffing and aerating of the fiber materials, such that fibers in a wide range of densities and fiber lengths can be processed. However, the picking device and circulation chamber along with their functional aspects differ from the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,649 to Horton discloses a machine for conditioning and dispensing loose fill insulation material, such as cellulose insulation, fiber glass insulation and rock wool insulation. The machine includes a hopper, a conditioning chamber, an air lock chamber and a blower for pneumatically dispensing the material. The conditioning chamber is equipped with three rotating shafts with helically arranged spikes which serve as conveyors as well as dispersers. A lower conveyor shaft moves the material toward the opening into the air lock, while the two uppermost conveyor shafts move the material in the opposite direction. The air lock chamber comprises a cylinder, a shaft mounted longitudinally in the cylinder and a plurality of blades or vanes extending from the shaft. The edges of the vanes contact the inner wall of the cylinder to create pockets. A single motor drives the rotation of the conveyor shafts and the rotation of the vanes.
The Horton's apparatus as a whole, especially the conditioning chamber and its components, is different from the present invention. Although the air lock chamber of the Horton's apparatus appears similar, the present invention is different in that it includes specially designed vanes and housing enclosing the vanes for achieving substantially isolated pockets. Moreover, in the present invention, the vanes are designed to allow air flow and fiber to blow back into the hopper to prevent clogging.
It is therefore an object of the present invention is to provide an improved fiber filling machine that comprises different fiber handling and filling procedures and uses specially designed components.
A further object is to provide an improved fiber filling machine for stuffing toys, pillows and the like without the use of compressors.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fiber filling machine that includes a dispensing assembly with specially designed paddle assembly having a plurality of vanes for creating substantially isolated pockets. These and other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.